Tony Romo is frustrating. He shows flashes of absolute brilliance. He makes plays that couldn’t be made by three or four other QBs in the entire league. But those brilliant moments are too often mired in bonehead/brain-dead plays that sometimes only cost his team points and other times cost his team points and provide his opponent points.

"Look, Kid..."

Romo is a lovable guy. He has that infectious grin that pries itself onto his face whether he wants it or not. He is fun. He is fun-loving. If we had a dollar for all the times we have heard him say, “Football is fun,” we still couldn’t stimulate the economy, but we might save a Starbucks location or two. That’s good. Who doesn’t want a guy who gets to play for a living to think he is lucky to have such a “fun” job?

But that last word – the three letter one – also describes what football is supposed to be for Tony Romo: a job! Let me tell you, there are more than a few people who want, no demand, that he take that job seriously, that he appreciate the great privilege and responsibility of quarterbacking the NFL’s greatest franchise.

Tony often seems to laugh off his failures. He tries to “put them into perspective” for everyone. Well, you know, there are worse things than losing a football game kind of stuff. Problem is, Jerry Jones has given him a $60 million contract to play the game. So, for us guys forming family teams on Thanksgiving Day and playing two-hand touch, sure, it’s a fun game. For a guy handed the reins of the offense of a team followed by millions, it is a wee bit more.

Maybe Tony should invite Troy Aikman to dinner…and just shut up and listen. Or, he could just listen to what Aikman said on Michael Irvin’s ESPN radio show recently:

“I think maybe things happened so quickly for Tony in terms of obscurity to all of a sudden national spotlight that he hasn’t fully grasped what being the Cowboys quarterback is all about. And you don’t go to Cabo the week before a playoff game. You just don’t do it.

“It didn’t take away from his preparations. I know that. I mean, everything he says is I think accurate. I don’t think that had any bearing.

“But to say, ‘I don’t worry about perception,’ you better worry about perception, because it’s a big part of making it through some very difficult times.”

Hey, Tony, we don’t need you to be a Zen master and chill us all out. Nor do we need you to give us “perspective” on life, really. I mean, sure, when you speak at an elementary school or to a Sunday School class. But when you talk to the fans through the media, make us believe you give a rip. We want to believe in you and your commitment to leading our Beloved Cowboys out of the Wilderness.